Ok...so I put mine on dry....we'll see how long it lasts. I'm a firm believer in nothing on head gaskets and only have had one do-over because I cheaped out and didn't grind the head (aluminum head on a Chevy 2.2)

ntrenn wrote:Ok...so I put mine on dry....we'll see how long it lasts. I'm a firm believer in nothing on head gaskets and only have had one do-over because I cheaped out and didn't grind the head (aluminum head on a Chevy 2.2)

I've never used a sealant either on past rebuilds and never had any problems. The mating surfaces have to be true and flat and be sure to have any pitting machined off.

It's just personal preference of folks on whether or not to use sealant on the gasket or bolts.

My preference is spray Permatex Copper Hi-Tack on both sides of the gasket and Teflon pipe sealant paste on the bolt threads. While I agree that installing the gasket clean & dry should work fine, I've had a couple cases where the gasket would weep a little coolant. I just like to avoid that issue.

I just remembered, if you use a Fel Pro gasket, only coat the metal side.

Gary Dotson wrote:My preference is spray Permatex Copper Hi-Tack on both sides of the gasket and Teflon pipe sealant paste on the bolt threads. While I agree that installing the gasket clean & dry should work fine, I've had a couple cases where the gasket would weep a little coolant. I just like to avoid that issue.

I just remembered, if you use a Fel Pro gasket, only coat the metal side.

That is exactly what I do. I use Rectorseal #5 for paste. The paste on the bolts should not be a matter of preference. I bought a tractor that had a professionally rebuilt engine and coolant was weeping up the bolts. It also had wee bit of coolant on the small lip at the top of the block so I took the entire engine apart, re-sealed it and put in the correct pop-up pistons (ouch on that).

Here are the pics of the products that I use. Based on recommendations from some of the guru's here and my buddy Dana who has been rebuilding vintage Harley's for about 35 years (he also own's a jobbers supply house).